Trump Thanks Morocco's King After Major Highway Named In His Honour

US President Donald Trump has thanked Morocco's King Mohammed VI after a 1,055-kilometre highway linking Tiznit to Dakhla was named in his honour. Trump praised the gesture and said he hoped to travel the route someday. The move highlights the close relationship between the US and Morocco, while the highway's route through disputed Western Sahara gives the gesture added political significance.

US President Donald Trump has thanked Morocco's King Mohammed VI after the North African country named a major new highway in his honour, highlighting the close relationship between Washington and Rabat.
Trump expressed his appreciation on his Truth Social platform on Sunday, sharing a video of the highway bearing the name "President Donald J. Trump".
"Thank you to Highly Respected Mohammed VI, the King of Morocco — such a great honour," Trump wrote.
The US president also said he hoped to visit the highway himself.
"I look forward to traveling the entire length of this great highway someday, hopefully soon," Trump added.

A 1,055-KILOMETRE HIGHWAY

The highway stretches for approximately 1,055 kilometres, linking the southern Moroccan city of Tiznit with Dakhla, a major coastal city in the disputed territory of Western Sahara.
The route is part of Morocco's wider infrastructure development plans aimed at improving transport links and supporting economic activity in the country's southern regions.
The naming of the highway after Trump is also seen as a symbolic gesture reflecting the strengthening of relations between the United States and Morocco.

WESTERN SAHARA REMAINS A DISPUTED TERRITORY

The highway's route through Western Sahara gives the gesture additional political significance.
Morocco controls most of the territory and considers it part of the kingdom, while the Polisario Front seeks independence for the region.
The dispute has remained unresolved for decades and continues to be a sensitive issue in North African diplomacy.
The United States has maintained close relations with Morocco, and Washington's position on the Western Sahara dispute has been an important factor in bilateral ties.

LONGSTANDING US-MOROCCO RELATIONS

The relationship between the United States and Morocco dates back centuries.
The two countries signed a Treaty of Peace and Friendship in 1786, making it the longest continuous treaty of friendship in US history.
Over the years, cooperation between Washington and Rabat has expanded to include security, counterterrorism, trade and regional diplomacy.
Morocco has also been an important US partner in North Africa, particularly on issues involving regional stability and security.

A SYMBOLIC DIPLOMATIC GESTURE

Naming a major infrastructure project after a sitting US president is an unusual diplomatic gesture and underlines the importance Morocco places on its relationship with Washington.
For Trump, the gesture represents a public show of goodwill from one of the United States' longstanding partners in the region.
For Morocco, the highway also forms part of its broader efforts to develop infrastructure and strengthen economic connections across its southern territories.
The naming is therefore both a symbolic diplomatic gesture and part of a wider story about Morocco's ambitions, its relationship with the United States and the continuing political significance of Western Sahara.